“That was nearly the nightmare scenario experts worry about. Playing so soon after a concussion, he may have been a step slower, or made a bad split-second decision, or was just unlucky, and he nearly had a catastrophic neck or head injury. He certainly appeared to meet the criteria for a full evaluation, as he held his head with both hands and didn’t immediately attempt to stand back up. I’m not comfortable that he was allowed to continue playing.”

At some point, the NHL as a league, teams and players have to look beyond winning a Stanley Cup, and consider the rest of their lives. As research continues to evolve, all parties cannot continue to stick their heads in the sand.

Truthfully, what is it going to take for the NHL and teams to protect the players from themselves?